Bionic Commando is a rad game for the NES
The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) had many amazing games to its credit. But if you are looking for something to play that has top-notch gameplay then you should try Bionic Commando. The game is supposed to be a spin-off of Commando, but it is nothing like this game. Bionic Commando is a Side Scrolling platform game that focuses on shooting action and the use of your bionic grappling hook. The game takes place in the future and basically you are soldier on a mission to rescue a dude by the name of Super Joe from the original Commando game. There is an evil group of soldiers and people that are trying to resurrect a very evil bad guy from the historical past. The bad guys use this insignia for themselves that looks like an albatross or eagle or something. Things that make this game great is that you get to have a gun, a special item that you select at the beginning of the mission and a grappling hook.
You enter stages that are filled with strategically placed enemies that either shoot you or drop bombs etc. In order to get around the areas you need to use your grappling hook to swing from place to place. This is because you are unable to do a standard jump in the game. When you use your grappling hook the entire map seems to swing with you and it feels very fluid. You can grapple things directly in front of you. You can crouch and grapple things. You can grapple straight up above your head at a 90 degree angle. And you can also grapple on an 45 degree angle in front of you. Overall you can use your grappling hook in more than enough ways to give the gamer a ton of control over movement. And after a while you will completely ignore and maybe even forget the fact that you can’t jump. Another cool thing that you can do with your grappling hook is that if you hit an enemy with it, they will be temporarily stunned and sometimes they will bounce backward. And you can also use your grappling hook to grab items from a distance. Especially like the bullet canister things that enemies drop when they die. Collecting these little things are important because if you get enough of them your health bear will increase by 1 health point. This is vital for the game because when you get to the boss areas you will need all the health you can get. It’s all about, “Vitality, Vitality, Vitality!”
Bionic Commando Box Art for NES
When you explore and infiltrate an enemy zone there are certain areas with large communication equipment and monitors. From there you can tap into enemy communications and get important information for your mission. And also you can use the enemy equipment to contact your allies, and they will give you tips on where to find stuff and they will also warn you about things. Another cool thing about the game is that there are certain areas called Neutral Areas where you can interrogate people and find secret items. But be careful not to fire your primary gun because that will alert the base and you will find yourself under attack by tons of people.
A throwback aspect of the game which tips its hat to the original Commando game, is the in between stages which you access by running into an enemy truck on the world map. You can do this by choosing to “Transfer” instead of “Decend” when you go to a numbered square. Eventually you will run into a green truck and you will end up fighting in a top down perspective mini-game. These mini-games are actually important to play because certain enemies in the middle and end of the zone will drop a shiny albatross token when they die. If you pick up the albatross (or eagle, whatever it looks like to you) and if you survive the stage you will be able to have a continue when you run out of lives. This is key because it gets pretty easy to die as the game progresses.
If you want to be successful with the game then I suggest you practice swinging your grappling hook in the early stages. If you are timid with your grappling hook and only like to do a little swinging, you will be overwhelmed by the grappling that you will need to do in later stages in order to traverse long gaps, or avoid spiked (instant death) areas. Also be sure to pick up the bullet containers that enemies drop when they die in order to pump up your life bar. HERE’s a TIP: If you are almost out of life and 1 more hit or so can kill you, and you are far in a stage so you don’t want to die and be taken back in the level; you can farm kill enemies until you get enough bullet containers to bring your health pods to the next level. When that happens you get a full life bar plus an extra life pop representing your new health level. You can check the status of your bullet gathering by pressing either select or start (I can’t remember which one).
If you play the game without taking a lot of breaks you will be able to beat it in about 3 – 5 hours. But it gets hard near the end at spots and there are certain areas that require that you use a specific weapon in order to bypass a security measure, or to kill a boss easily. Most boss areas are a central power node that needs to be destroyed and there is almost always an enemy boss dude that is protecting it. It isn’t always easy to figure out how to kill the boss and so sometimes you need to just avoid them and focus on destroying the energy node.
Bionic Commando is an overall great game that is very unique. The different types of guns that you can get in the game cater to your specific playing style. For example later in the game you can get a triple-shot gun that shoots in three directions at once. So you grapple the ceiling, and then pull yourself close to the platform without climbing up to the next level. And then shoot through the above platform at an enemy with your triple-shot gun, and you will not even run the risk of being hurt. It is a total stealth and skill tactic that makes the game feel like you are really on a mission with powerful weaponry at your disposal. If you like a game with amazing unique gameplay, and lots of challenge, as well as good graphics, then Bionic Commando is the game for you.